Hidden by Silence
by SilverSwan
Summary: Brainiac Meryl is in her senior year in Highschool. She's got friends, but shys away from getting a boyfriend...will Vash break the silence? VxM. WxM. DxL OH MY HAVE I GOT SOME SURPRISES FOR YOU!!!!!!!!
1. Default Chapter

Hey all ya'll out there…how's it going?  Anyways, this is my second fic…frowns my first one didn't seem to be doing too well…it's called Acceptance of Light…of Darkness, and is a VxM vampire story!  Now come on…doesn't that sound interesting?  Also has WxM, and L/KxD.  

Anyways, this story is an AU fic, the Trigun gang is in high school.  It's their senior year.  I know it's been used before, but the idea is so good, I couldn't put it down.  They are 17-18.  Enjoy!  VxM, WxM, DxL, and other possibilities as I think up them!

Umm…I got thrown into an insane asylum for a while, after I was forced to face reality and realize that I DON't OWN TRIGUN!!!  Or Wal-mart, but that's no big loss compared to Trigun!  Oh yeah…don't own SEARCH, but I wouldn't want to, either!

A CHARACTER'S THOUGHTS ARE IN SINGLE QUOTATIONS (' '), 

WORDS/CURSES/SILENCES ARE IN DOUBLE QUOTATIONS(" ")….THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW…

"Milly," I sighed for what seemed to be the thousandth time.  "May I remind you we are here to get school supplies, not to examine the new favors of pudding!" I sighed yet again and threw an exasperated glance towards my long-time friend whom I'd known since we were in diapers.  Milly, a tall girl with long brown hair and the world's friendliest smile was currently mesmerized by the shopping aisle full of pudding that loomed in front of her. 

_'She didn't even hear me,' I realized, feeling my blood pressure rise.  _

"Fine then, meet me in the school supplies section when you're done drooling."  I'd had it.  Enough was enough, besides she did this every time we went to the store together.  With the thousand-and-third sigh, I folded my arms akimbo and walked off to aisle 17 in Wal-mart, dreading what I knew I'd find.  The school supplies section was always the busiest two weeks before school started, and there was a guarantee of little-to-nothing left the day before school started.  _'Tomorrow I'll be a senior…not that it will really be any different from the other years.  It just means more school work.'_

          My thoughts trailed off to the past three years of my high-school life.  My parents were always nagging me to stick to my studies, and, in order to see it happen, didn't let me have much of a social life.  I couldn't decide who was worse…mom, who was a lawyer, or dad who was a doctor.  They both knew the importance of school and studying in order to become successful, obviously.  "Take care of your education, and it will take care of you," was my mother's favorite saying.  My dad gave whole lectures on the importance of education.  Yet, I had to agree, their preaching stuck, and I was the valedictorian of the class.  

'_But still…it would be nice to have a social life, sometimes.' I admit, I didn't have it that bad.  I wasn't totally cut off from being with my friends, but I never got to be with them as often as I wished.  Mom and Dad were cool about me talking to and being with members of the opposite sex, luckily, but they had problems with me going out of the house for anything other than school on the weekdays.  _

I abruptly pushed myself out of my thoughts as I entered the school aisle…and groaned.  I would have sighed if I wasn't so sick of it already.  The whole aisle was a mess, notebooks strewn all over the place, folders littered here and there, pens and pencils…there were none in sight, and the remaining notebooks and folders were either bent, folded, or torn.

"Oh well," I muttered aloud, before bending down and beginning to scavenge for whatever I could find that was intact and serviceable.  The hair on my neck rose, and I stood up abruptly and turned around to face the feeling.  

_'I should have known…Legato.'   My lips curled into a snarl without my realizing it.  _

Legato was the class' salutatorian, and he was none too happy over the fact that he was second to me, a tiny, brilliant, female-to-boot.  I enjoyed it though, and was not worried in the least that he would catch up.  It was a well-known fact that he had always tried to pass me.  You would think that since we were the schools' top students, we would befriend each other and get along, as we were most likely of a society that spoke a language only we could understand, but he hated my guts.  And he made no secret of it, either.  He spoke, his voice cold and deep,

"I hope you've enjoyed your stay at number one."  He paused for breath and the gold glimmer of his eyes shone with abhorrence.  "You won't be there too much longer."

"Riiight," was my reply.  It may have been pathetic, but it was a classic, and it worked.  Especially when combined with a roll of my eyes as I turned my back towards him.  "Your threat hasn't worked for these past three years," I tossed over my shoulder, itching to see the hatred make his eyes narrow to a squint.

"Don't take me so lightly," he responded, and I mentally cringed as I heard him take a step closer.  I should have shut my mouth right there and then.  But of course, me being me…

I turned and faced him, my nose in the air; a smirk on my face, "I already have."  His eyes were murderous, and I was truly starting to fear for my life, when:

"You here too, Meryl?  I thought the valedictorian of our school would have her stuff three months ahead of time, organized and ready."  

Turning, I saw one of my close friends, Nicholas D. Wolfwood.  My face relaxed into a smile.  He and I had been friends ever since we entered high school.  We nearly always had the same classes, as he wasn't too lacking in the brains department, either.  It was fine with me, other than intelligent he was funny in a unique way.  Besides, Milly had been in love with him for as long as I can remember.  And sometimes, I felt this odd connection with him…

"What's your excuse?" I threw back.  "Hey, I 'm not Ms. Perfect," he retorted, with a characteristic wink.  

Time froze for a moment.  Every time someone called me that…I hated it. I knew he was teasing, but still…I wasn't perfect, never tried to be, and it was annoying as hell whenever I did "slip up."  The rest of the school seemed to think that the valedictorian was some all-mighty, error-free being, and I got teased for weeks whenever I did the littlest things, such as getting less than a 100 on a test or homework.  Naturally, Legato would rub it in my face for weeks, until progress reports came out, and showed that his average was still not anywhere near beating mine.  Or like tonight, for being human for once and buying my supplies the night before school started.

"So, did you do anything this summer besides study?"  Nick questioned me.  I shrugged.  "Not much.  Saw some movies; hung out with Milly most of the time.  How was SEARCH?"

Nick belonged to an organization of freaks, in my opinion.  It focused on encouraging teenagers to share and develop their Catholic faith, but I knew better.  Those SEARCH people were mighty weird at times, I swear it must have been a secret cult of evil beings.  And Nick was in charge of the summer retreats.  I suppose him belonging to that organization was the reason he was 'weird' in a way only describable as Nick.  

Think of the typical naughty school-girl, applied to him.  He was forever preaching good to others, but I never can really say that I saw him carry it out.  I have no idea why he belonged to SEARCH…I think it's to go into those retreats and corrupt the minds of those that went, thereby saving them from whatever the weird SEARCH people try to do to them.  At any rate, Nick rode a motorcycle he purchased himself by doing odd jobs for many summers.  He also had a bad little habit of smoking, although he claimed it wasn't a habit, and he wasn't addicted…'I can quit anytime I want,' was what he said when I reproached him for it. He wasn't a bad guy, though, and most people found him approachable and nice.  I wouldn't be surprised if he won the award for Most Friendly.

Nick had been brought up by his mom, Katherine Wolfwood.  She had married Wolfwood's father, Stephan Wolfwood, and after four years of marriage, he died in a car crash.  Nick was only two at the time.  Katherine and Stephan, however, had planned to have a large family, and so, in his absence, Katherine adopted kids.  You would think that normally Nick would mind, but he didn't.  He loved taking care of children, and the Wolfwood household was currently up to a total of 6 children, 7 including Nick.  

Stephan Wolfwood had been more or less well off, so Katherine had no trouble raising the pack.  She hadn't wanted to remarry after Stephan, saying he was the love of her life, although she was only 29 at the time of his death.  The reason that Nick had to work for his bike was that his mom refused to have any part in buying it for him.  I only hope he doesn't get hurt in an accident.  That would just about kill his mother.  And, I hope, for his sake, she never finds out about his little 'non'-addiction.  She would kill him.  If I don't get around to it first.

"SEARCH was great Meryl, you really should go sometime!"  For years, literally, Wolfwood had been trying to talk me into joining his religious circle of freaks.

"No thanks…don't ask me again," I warned, teasingly.  Forgotten in the background, Legato turned to digging through the piles of leftovers.  

'Ha, I wonder what his excuse is,' I smirked evilly to myself.  'He must be trying to be like me…'

"MERYL!  There you are!"  A breathless Milly runs up to me, pushing a cart full of…need I say?  Pudding.  "I was looking everywhere for you-" she cuts herself off as she notices Nick, the love of her life.  Only he doesn't know it, yet.  "Oh, hi, Mr. Wolfwood, what are you doing here?"  Milly's voice gets a tad bit higher, and the lightest of blushes stains her freckled cheeks.

Lucky for her, she's saved.

"NICK!  MERYL!  How was ya'lls summer?"

"Vash, you broom head, why didn't you ever show up to any of the SEARCH retreats?"  This of course, was from Nick.

Knives showed up in aisle 17 a few minutes later, Vash's twin and alter ego.  Whereas Vash was kind and wouldn't hurt anybody, Knives was violent and prone to act on his tempers if he didn't get his way.  Hell, just look at his name.

"Oh…ah-ha-ha…" Vash nervously scratched the back of his head with his hand.

'I've always hated that donkey laugh…' I gritted my teeth together in silent frustration.  That boy always annoyed me, whether it was his laugh, his crazy, dumb attitude, or the way he managed to have girls fawning over him, in my opinion, for acting stupid.

Eager to find a way out of his predicament, Vash ran up to me and threw his arms around me, hugging me tightly.  "Meryl!  I missed you, how was your summer?"

"GET…OFF…OF…ME!!!"  I shouted, before flipping him flat on his back.  Everyone looked at me in amazement, except for Milly.  The way they were looking at me, you'd think I'd grown as tall as Milly.

"What?"  I asked, defiance mixed with innocence in my tone.

"Where…why…where did you learn that?"  Vash spluttered, looking up unsteadily at me from the ground.

"Meryl's been taking martial arts for several years," Milly explained.  "She's just about to take her test to earn her black belt."

"You didn't tell me about this," Nick said.

"You never asked."

I had been taking Shokotan, a Japanese form of martial arts since I was 11.  I didn't like to make the fact public; I felt it was bragging, and besides, I liked to have an unseen edge over any possible opponents.  Plus…I just didn't feel comfortable publicizing it; not that I was ashamed of it or anything.  Milly was right, I was just one trial away from receiving my black belt.  Shotokan was one sport that I was thankful for my size.  My tiny size, combined with my speed (I could move pretty fast) made up for my lack of strength.  It's not that I am weak or anything, but come on…I was still petite, a measurement which happened to extend to my strength as well.

'Dammit.'  I bit my lip in frustration at myself.  'Dammit, Meryl, you idiot, why did you have to let them know?'

Knives was laughing, but then walked over and helped Vash up…Everyone sweatdrops before laughing some more as he donkey-slapped the back of his neck.  

Legato, finally in company worthy of his company, The Great Knives, a long-time friend of his, joined in the laughter.

"Heey!"  Vash whined.  "Knives, cut that out!"

"Oh man…Vash, Vash, Vash…if you wanna know how to do it, this is how.  Ya gotta be smooth."  With the words of wisdom, Knives sauntered over to me in an overly suave manner and draped an arm around my shoulders.  "Hey baby," he drawled.  "How was your summer?"

Disgusted by his rather suggestive manner and his proximity to my person, I let my temper get the better of me…I was never very good at keeping it, anyways.  Since they already knew of my fighting skills…

"POP!!!"  The oh-so-satisfying noise my fist made as it came in contact with his jaw.  Like I said earlier, I possess no Herculean strength, but the speed with which I delivered the punch, added to the fact that Knives, while expecting me to hit Vash in some way, would never dream that I would hit him, combined to cause him to stumble backwards, holding a lip that dripped with blood.  Not much, but still…

"Agh…Damn you, Meryl!"  He cried, touching his bleeding lip with an awed finger.

"Hey, you should have known better!"

Vash, who somehow managed to get a bag of the Dolly Madison powdered donuts, was laughing, showing a mouthful of chewed-up whiteness.  Doesn't he know you don't eat the stuff until you pay for it?

Nick smirked, and leaned against a shelf, arms crossed.  "Well, you had that coming, Knives.  Too bad I didn't get a picture.  It was a Kodak moment."  He never liked Knives much.  I really couldn't blame him.

Knives…now there's quite an interesting character, if I do say so myself.  Bad boy to the bone.  It seemed he always went out of his way to stand out and rebel.  He had to be counted, to feel important, I thought.  God help us all if he decided to become a 'Boss Tweed' of the world.  One thing in particular he liked to go after was girls.  

Rumor had it that by the time he was 13 he lost his virginity, and now, at 18 he was rumored to have slept with 100 or more.  I can't say that I thought the rumors false.  I had often seen him putting the moves on some girl, though usually he was, or tried to be, discreet about it.  So, I did not feel particularly flattered when he put his arm around me, as you can imagine.  I don't relish the idea of being another mark on his bedpost.

Sometimes, though I think there is still hope for him yet…after all can anyone related to Vash be so bad?  And raised by Rem…but that's another story.  You see, Vash and Knives' real parents were killed in a thunderstorm.  A huge oak that grew near their house crashed through the roof after begin struck by lightening.  Lucky for Vash and Knives, they were both at Rem's at the time.  Not so for their parents.  The roof collapsed, and the impact was enough to cause the whole house to crumble.  I don't really know too many particulars about it.  Vash and Knives were only 3 years old.

Rem was the twin's aunt, a sister of their mother.  Although she was only 20 at the time of her sister's death, she decided to take in the twins, as she was the only living relative left.  Their father was an only child, and both sets of parents had passed away.  Sometimes I think that's what caused Knives to be the way he was, but then Vash grew up under similar circumstances and was not so…weird?  No, he was weird alright, but not in the way that Knives was.  He was like a maniac.  And he hated Rem, whereas Vash loved her.

Milly broke the possible quarrel between Knives and Nick.  She saved me, too.  "Meryl, I have to go!  It's already 10 o'clock!"

"You didn't even get anything," I pointed out, "Other than pudding."

"I know, but tomorrow's only the first day, so I'm sure we won't really need anything."  

"Milly – wait up a second.  You want some help carrying all that pudding?"  Nick asked, throwing her a wink.  Sometimes he could be as smooth as Knives, only it was in a clean, friendly way, not in a way that made you feel like you were about to be ravished.

"Oh…sure!"  Milly smiled at him, her eyes involuntarily getting large and sparkly for a moment.  She broke herself out of her trance.  "You'd better get home too, Meryl, you know how your parents are!"

Yeah.  Boy, did I know.

************************************************************************************

I gave a small, yet genuine smile as I waited for the cashier to ring up my purchase.  My friends had a way of being able to bring it out of me…breaking, to some small extent the walls of stoicism I'd built up around my family, or my parents, rather, as I was an only child.  I honestly don't know what happened, or why my family was the way we were.  My parents were highly successful at what they did, they knew how to handle all sorts of people in the world, yet our family life was a failure.  They didn't understand me, or know how to approach me.  

As I said earlier, I don't know what happened…the strong family feeling and bonds you see in most other families- Milly with her 10 siblings and two parents; Vash, even Knives with Rem; and Nicholas with his mom and all the kids they adopted – they all had that….I guess 'family' feeling.  I honestly envied them on occasion. 

"35.76"  The cashier stated, pulling my mind out of my family problems.  I started, before handing her a 50 dollar bill.  Accepting my change, I pushed the cart towards the exit and my car, drifting back into my thoughts.

It wasn't that we didn't act like a family.  Outsiders saw the perfect family: rich, successful parents, and a smart-can-take-over-the-world-with-her-brains daughter.  But the silence that ruled supreme in my family…I hated.  

The silence while I road in the car with my mom, or when my dad called the house from a business trip, and my mom wasn't home, forcing me to answer – the awkwardness that comes from 17 years of living with two people who don't know you at all.  The dead silence of a cemetery, the silence of a sullen prisoner, unwilling to talk.   Or, the awkwardness of a first date, with the small embarrassed silences.  Whichever's the easiest for you to understand.  We simply weren't close.  I reached my car and begin loading my bags.

"Yo, Meryl!"  I heard the roar of a motorcycle, and knew who it was before I turned around.  Nicholas.  

"Are you going to that Welcome-Back part the school's having?"  Nick shouted over his motorcycle's engine, putting a foot on the parking-lot ground to steady his bike.

"Huh?"  Was my response.  "I wasn't aware of this, when is it?"

"Friday night.  Think you'll go?"

"I might."  For some reason, my school had decided to start the school year on a Thursday.  Don't ask me why.

            "You think-"  Nick cut himself off, and looked down at his bikes handles, fingering them uncertainly.  "You think- I should ask Milly to go with me?"  His voice cracked in a steady stream of uncertainty.

            I laughed so hard it hurt.  Nick looked crestfallen.  

"Nick," I hurried to explain, smiling, "if your this nervous just asking _me if you should ask __her, imagine what you'll be like asking her!"_

He pouted for a second, but began to smile.  "So I guess that's a yes?"

I nodded.  "Uh-huh.  She'll die from joy."  My God.  Milly would kill me if she heard what I was telling Nick right now.  I could just hear her now…_"you, and your children, and your children's children…"_

            "And you, Meryl, are you going with anyone?" He casually asked before cutting Angelina's engine.

            "WHAT?  School hasn't even started yet!  It's not like anyone's expected to go with anyone.  Don't be ridiculous….besides, you know I wouldn't, anyways."

            "Well," Nick said, "You could always go with Vash."  

            "Ha ha."  I put the last bag in the car and shut the door.  "Goodbye, Nick."  I said as I walked towards the driver's door.

            "Wait…Why wouldn't you want to go with him?  He's not a bad guy-"  I cut him off.

            "Because, he's Vash. I think that's reason enough.  He's goofy, loud, has the most annoying laugh – "

Nick cut me off this time.  "He'd go with you," he replied in a soft voice, before raising his left arm in farewell and starting Angelina's engine.  "But I'll talk to you later.  See ya."  His engine roared to life as he took off.

I sighed and shook my head, bemused as I got into the car.  I had my reasons.  Sure, Vash's goofiness was always a ready excuse, but it wasn't the real reason.  There were times when I caught myself lost in his pretty green eyes, or the way his smile would light up his face.  He deserved someone better.  I was not close to my parents'; I could not get close to anyone in that way, it would only spread the silence.


	2. First day Whoos! and Boos

CRINGES Hi...guys..it's me. YEEP!!!! ducks as people throw rotten food. I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever. . . PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! It will get better after this, I promise you. I just started college. . . for all those out there, you know what it's like! For those of you who are blessed with not being in college..DROP OUT!!! DROP OUT NOW!!! You'll either faint/die from the college load. . .Just kidding. Enjoy. ******************************************************************  
  
Hidden By Silence  
  
SilverSwan  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: First day Whoos! and Boos  
  
******************************************************************  
  
'He'd go with you. . .' These words haunted my mind. Eyes closed, I wondered if Nick was serious.  
  
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE -  
  
Shutting of my beeping wristwatch, I sighed and opened my eyes, jerked rudely out of my thoughts by the tiny but insistent beeping. Sunlight was just beginning to pour into the sky, golden streaks in the east. 6:00 a.m.  
  
I got up from the meditative position I was sitting in, legs crossed Indian- style, with my palms resting on the tops of my knees. Not that the meditation I did in any way helped me manage my, as people said, 'temper,' but that wasn't the point.  
  
Stretching, I walked towards my balcony from the roof. My two-story house was built so that one part of the roof sloped gently towards my balcony.  
  
Once there, I crawled back into my window and inside my room, heading to the bathroom to begin my morning hygiene.  
  
I meditated in the mornings, mainly to get my focus, clear my head, and get my goals for the day straight, another habit of mine from Shotokan. It was perhaps, the secret of my success, before I flew around all day, busy every instant, always on the go, brainiac-Meryl, who did every assignment the second she got it.  
  
No one, not even my closest friends knew I did this. Not even my. . .family.  
  
It was pathetic, really. Mom and Dad had a fancy alarm system set up, to keep any possible break-ins away. We lived in a country house a little ways from the city where my school was located, about 15 or so minutes  
  
Not that it really would stop a burglar from entering, mind you, but at least the alarm systems company would be alerted whenever the alarm went off for longer than thirty seconds, and call to make sure everything was alright. If no one answered the phone, then the police were sent over.  
  
The alarm went off whenever anyone opened a door - unless it was shut off. Mom and Dad would activate it every night, religiously, and without fail.  
  
But the expensive, top of the line alarm, while wired to go off when doors opened, failed to detect the opening of a window; quite pathetic.  
  
So, as I said earlier, Mom and Dad had no idea that I meditated everyday without fail, getting up at 5:15, and practicing Shotokan until 5:45, then meditating until 6:00.  
  
Morning hygiene complete, I went to my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans, tight fitting at the hips and slightly flared at the ankles. They were the dark-denim, of course. I couldn't stand the light-washed denim.  
  
I got my favorite shirt, a black one that fit snuggly, and had little sleeves. On the middle of the shirt were Chinese characters for STRENGTH. On the left sleeve were the characters for PRIDE. Exactly me.  
  
I grabbed my makeup (the little that I wore, and all neutral colors) and put it in my backpack. I'd put it on in the car, only at stoplights that I knew from experience were long, long enough for me to put the car in park, even. Sliding my feet into black flip-flops, I proceeded down the stairs, keys to my car in hand.  
  
Dad was at the table, reading the paper. He usually got up around six, that is whenever he didn't get called in to work the night shifts. He gave me a glance before looking back at whatever he was reading.  
  
"Leaving so soon? It's only 6:45."  
  
"I know." School started at eight. "I wanted to get there early to organize everything," I replied, truthfully.  
  
Turning the page, and not looking up, he said, "Come home soon as you can, we need to talk about your going to college."  
  
"Yeah," was my abrupt reply, as I walked out of the door, silently cussing him out. If he couldn't trouble himself to look at me when he spoke, I wouldn't.  
  
'I hate them'  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"Oh Meryl, you know it's no problem, we should always do good for others when we get the chance!" Exclaimed Milly as she looked both ways before proceeding to turn left at the stop sign.  
  
"Thanks Milly, anyways."  
  
Inside I was cursing, once again. But this time at my car. The stupid thing refused to start this morning. And, rather than go ask my dad to drive me to school in the everlasting silence or stilted conversation, I called Milly instead on my cell.  
  
'Well, at least I have time to do my makeup nicely,' I reflected, pulling out my compact and proceeding to apply power. Still, I'd rather have my car, driving myself. Milly was not the best of drivers.  
  
"OH MY GOD!!!"  
  
I jumped, placing my hands protectively over my head. Looks like I won't be able to do my makeup so nicely after all. . .not with Milly driving.  
  
"What? My god, Milly, I thought you were about to hit something!"  
  
"I forgot to tell you. . .it totally slipped my mind, but I don't know how it could have!! Nicholas asked me if I wanted to go with him to that Welcome-Back party the school's having. . .can you believe it?!?"  
  
I hid a smile beneath my smile of happiness for her. "That's great, Milly. When did he ask?"  
  
"Last night, when I was driving home, and stopped at an intersection, he pulled up right next to me on his bike! And then he asked me if I would like to go with him!!! Can you believe it, Meryl?!!!"  
  
I laughed, and rolled my eyes, affectionately. "That's Wolfwood's style, alright," I said before applying a neutral-colored lip gloss.  
  
"Oh yes. . .my silly Nicky. . ." she smiled dreamily, her eyes distant.  
  
"MILLY!!! Watch the road, please!"  
  
"Oh. . .I am. Hey, have you heard this song before? It rocks." Milly turned the radio up a coupl'a notches.  
  
You never gave us a chance to be.  
  
And I don't need you to be by my side, and tell me that everythings all right.  
  
I just wanted you to tell me the truth, You know I'd do that for you  
  
So why are you running away? Why are you running away?  
  
'So why are you running away?' The song struck a nerve. My thoughts drifted to last night, of everything Wolfwood had said about Vash.  
  
'Why wouldn't you want to go with him? He's not a bad guy.'  
  
No one understood, only Milly and another close friend, of what my family was like. But even they did not know the true reason to why I never 'hooked up,' with anyone.  
  
"Isn't that the greatest song?" Milly chirped. I was surprised she hadn't picked up on my silent mood. She normally would, but I suppose it was because of her recent excitement with Wolfwood.  
  
"Yeah, it's pretty good," I replied, feeling suddenly tired, as Milly pulled into the high school parking lot.  
  
"It's better than 'pretty good,' it's -" she cut her self off, frowning in concentration as she parked. I held my breath too; Milly's come so close to having hit other people's cars before. Correction, she hit a Jaguar once, and took off before someone saw.  
  
"I. . .think I. . ." she bit her tongue in concentration. "Got it!"  
  
Whew. I could breath again. I smiled, thinking of my friend, Milly, whom I've known practically about forever.  
  
Standing at 5ft 11, she was star of the basketball team, and played center. Her speed and aim were pretty good, too. Don't mess with Milly on the court. Too many opponent teams have been taken in by her bubbly, air- headed personality, only to find them themselves trampled on.  
  
Milly gets serious on the court, and I wouldn't be surprised to find her playing for the WNBA in a few years. She also had plenty experience playing basketball growing up, after all, she did come from a family of ten siblings.  
  
"Hey look, there's Dominique!" Milly said as she got out of her car.  
  
I looked up, getting my backpack out of her backseat. "Sure is. . .what's she doing here?"  
  
Milly tugged on my elbow. "C'mon, let's go say hi!"  
  
I went, willingly. Dominique had been my second closest friend, after Milly. The three of us had been friends ever since high school began.  
  
Dominique was tall as well, though not quite as tall as Milly at 5ft 9, with model looks and a figure to match. Her hair was long, dark and shiny, and her complexion perfect. Oddly, she'd never had a boyfriend. Dominique was nice, but a little edgy with guys, due in part, I think because of her family's situation.  
  
Dominique's father, Carlo, was often abusive to his wife. Once, when Dominique was about 7, she got tired of seeing her mother being pushed around and beaten. She ran in front of her mother and tackled her father, or tried to. There wasn't much she could do; the strength of a 7-year old girl can't possibly compare to that of a 35-year old man, no matter what her mood.  
  
Nonetheless, she managed to sink her teeth into his right hand. Carlo, with his free left hand, punched Dominique in the right eye. The heavy, elaborate gold rings he wore not only gave her a black eye for months, but also damaged her eye tissues, and for about a year afterwards, she had to wear an eye patch over her right eye. Her mother, Maria filed for a divorce soon afterwards.  
  
Ever since then, Dominique's always been wary of guys, slightly cold to them. I can't really blame her.  
  
'Hmmm. . .come to think of it, almost everyone I know has some sort of 'dysfunctional' family.'  
  
Knives and Vash, living with their aunt due to their parent's tragic death; Nick with his mom and six other kids; me with my silent jailers; and Dominique with her past. Milly's family is probably the most normal, although, I don't really consider having ten children as normal.  
  
Dominique is the school's best fencing player, even topping all of the guys. I wouldn't be surprised if she leads our school to state, or even national finals. She also is a drill team captain, and in the top 20. Her only true flaw is her fear of guys, which she covers up with an I'm-better- than-you attitude.  
  
But hey, the ideal that females were superior to males was held up in my mind, too. Just ask Legato.  
  
"Dominique!?!" Milly cried, "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Yeah. You were supposed to be at fencing camp. . .wasn't it supposed to end next Monday?" I asked.  
  
Dominique turned and smiled at us, before giving us each quick hugs. "It ended early, this year."  
  
"Why didn't you call us?" Milly demanded.  
  
Dominique smiled. "I just got in last night, around 11 or so, and I thought I'd surprise ya'll. . .and it looks like I did."  
  
"You sure did, D," I said, putting extra emphasis on the pet name I'd come up for her in freshmen year.  
  
She mock-glared at me. "Don't called me that!"  
  
Our private joke, just between Milly, Dominique and I. We were all heavily into anime, and after watching 'Vampire Hunter D, Bloodlust,' (it was the first one of the two we saw) Dominique's nickname was born. Not only did her name conveniently begin with a 'D,' but like D, she had long hair, even if the color wasn't the same, and her specialty was her Demon's Eye (the name of her fencing sword). . .as D fought with a sword. It was too convenient. She hated the name, even though she liked D.  
  
I smirked. "Whatever, c'mon, let's go in. Have you got your schedule yet?" I asked her.  
  
"No. . .I need to pick it up," she replied, a slight frown marking her face.  
  
"DOMINIQUE!!! You'll never guess what happened to me last night!" Milly squealed.  
  
I sighed, rolling my eyes. 'Here we go again.' I tried to convince myself that it was annoyance and not jealousy over the fact that Milly was the first to actually go on something akin to a date.  
  
"Oh man. . .let me guess, new pudding flavors?" Dominique tossed her hair over her shoulder as we made our way towards the building. "No. . .Nicky asked me to go with him to the Welcome-back party!"  
  
I saw Dominique smile at Milly, yet only with her lips. She was worried about Milly, and her eyes held a reserved, somewhat wary look of a dog that's been beaten by its masters.  
  
Out of the three of us, Milly had always been the friendliest, and had the easiest time making friends, while D and I were less likely to talk to a stranger sitting next to us. Guys recognized that too, and friendly outgoingness was a trait they went after. But Milly was in no way 'easy;' she had never given encouragement to any other guy, having her heart set on Wolfwood.  
  
"Hey, baby," Wolfwood called from across the parking lot, roughly twenty feet away where he was parking his bike.  
  
"Oh! Excuse me, I gotta go. I'll see you both later. Bye!" With nothing further, Milly rushed off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw D raise her right eyebrow, a cross between somewhat annoyed, but more in partial genuine fear.  
  
I looked at Dominique and gave her a cautious, half-smile. "So. . .what do you think about this?"  
  
"Doesn't really matter what I think," she replied. "She's been in love with him for years. Never mind the fact that she probably doesn't really know what he's like."  
  
"True, but I know him, more or less. He's not a bad guy at all. Except for his smoking."  
  
"It always starts out with something small," she replied, averting her face as she quickened her pace and walked inside the schools doors. "I'll see you later, I've got to go see about my schedule." Practically running, she went in the direction of the office.  
  
Poor Dominique. Her father's abuse seemingly had marked her for life. *****************************************************************  
  
"Damn this shit," I thought for what must have been the millionth time today.  
  
My classes were difficult this year. . .all of them honors, or Advanced Placement. Not hard. . .I wasn't worried so much about the difficulty level as I was about the homework I knew each class would eagerly load on me, to 'prepare me for college.' Although, we hadn't done much, other than do some ice-breakers, and the 'how was your summer,' talks. And naturally, Legato was in all my classes. Dominique, Milly, and Nicholas were in a couple of them, so that wasn't so bad. . .on second thought, I don't know how much longer I can put up with Milly and 'Nicky's' endless flirting.  
  
Was I jealous? Maybe. Not over the fact that Milly was talking to Wolfwood. . .more of the fact that she had someone. . .  
  
Nah.  
  
Then there was Vash. . .surprise, surprise, he was in a couple of my classes too. I always knew he wasn't dumb. . .somewhere deep beneath his idiocy. And Knives was no moron, either. In my honest opinion, the both of them were really smart, but didn't apply themselves. I think Legato's position would be threatened if they did. But not mine, of course.  
  
I sighed and glanced at my schedule to see my last class. . .  
  
1.English AP 115 2.Biology II Honors 210 3.Chemistry II Honors 212 LUNCH Cafeteria 4. Computer Science II AP 100 5.Forensic Science 215 6.Calculus AP 110 7. Spanish IV AP 113  
  
Last class of the day. . .Spanish.  
  
'Piece of cake,' I thought.  
  
Learning languages was easy for me, and I more or less spoke it fluently already, due to my parents. They had made me take lessons ever since I was 10.  
  
'I need a blow off period, anyways.' Smiling, I made my way to the class, ready for a year of an easy, stress-free class.  
  
But I spoke to soon. Legato, Nick, and Vash were in my class. So was Dominique, but, she was nowhere near annoying me. Smiling, she waved me over to sit by her. Legato was sitting to her left, with Vash behind him, and Nick behind Vash. The only available seat by Dominique was behind her, next to Vash on his right. I took it.  
  
'Only so I can sit near Dominique,' I argued to myself. Who in their right minds would want to sit next to Vash and Nick? And especially, Legato? It was going to be one hell of a year.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
I apologize, once again, for the delay. . .and when I finally updated, it that it was such a crappy chapter. Maybe it was crappy, but necessary! THE SURPRISES??? WHERE ARE THEY? Ah well. . .I do have a lot. . .there are so many plot twists planned for this, I'm getting' dizzy, they will come in the future chapters!!! C'mon, ya'll needed all this background character info. . .right? At any rate, drop a review. Oh yeah, I'm working on the next chapters to my other fics, Special Thanks to Vash's Girl for e-mailing me encouragement! Gratzi! SilverSwan 


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